Men Gutiérrez was a very wealthy and politically powerful man. In his household, he maintained many servants that he fed and cared for.²⁵ He was remembered as being a very giving man and a person of honor. Gutiérrez and his wife had been deceased for as long as five years when their trial took place in the spring of 1485. Many witnesses came forward to give testimony about the Jewish practices of this couple, including people who had served in their household for many years. One witness, Catalina García stated that thrity-years earlier, around 1455, she had lived in the household of Men and his wife during which time she witnessed "que guardaban los sábados e vestian camisas linpias e guisaban en su casa de Men Gutierrez de comer del viernes para el sábado... y ençendían candiles limpios los viernes en la noche"²⁶ ("that they kept the Sabbath and dressed in clean shirts and in the house of Men Gutiérrez they prepared food on Fridays for the Sabbath... and on Fridays they lit oil lamps in the evening").

Another witness, Alfonso Fernández Descobar, had worked for Men Gutiérrez and as early as 1460 he had seen that "el dicho Men Gutierres y su mujer e una sobrina guardavan los sabados e se vestían camisas limpias y levantavase mas tarde que otro dia e yvanse a folgar a casa de sus parientes e sabe e vido guisar en su casa el viernes para el sabado..."²⁷ ("the said Men Gutiérrez and his wife and a niece kept the Sabbath and dressed in clean shirts and arose much later than any other day and they went to visit the house of their relatives and he [the witness] knows and saw them cook in their house on Friday for the Sabbath..."). In the Inquisition trial of Teresa de Castro, a daughter-in-law of Men Gutiérrez, a female witness who had work in Castro’s home around 1473 described that on Friday evenings the family prepared "caçuelas de huevos y pescado" (stewing pots of eggs and fish) as well as as "ollas de garbanzos con fuevos" ("kettles of chickpeas with eggs") for the Sabbath.²⁸ As early as 1450, Juana López, La Gascona, had knowledge of Catalina Gutiérrez, wife of Men, and several other women making visits on Saturdays to the house of Yuda, a Jew of Almagro.

According to further testimony, the Gutiérrez family ate kosher meat. There were several instances recounted from the years of 1463, 1465, and 1470 when Men Gutiérrez was in the company of Mose, a Jew of Almagro who killed livestock in the manner prescribed by Jewish religious law.²⁹

Other Jewish customs maintained by members of the Gutiérrez family included the observance of Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) and Roshasana (the beginning of the Jewish new year). Specifically, testimony was given to this effect concerning Alonso Gutiérrez (son of Men) and his wife, Teresa de Castro.³⁰ In addition, it was stated by a witness that when Teresa de Castro gave birth to a daughter, Elvira Gutiérrez, in 1467, "que la setena nocha venieron donzellas e otros parientes a le facer la fadas como acostumbre los judios..."³¹ ("that on the seventh night young women and other relatives came to make the divinations[?] as is the custom of Jews"). Particular songs were sung and the child was given a cermonial bath. Elvira Gutiérrez died at about age seven to eight months of age and witnesses testified that her body was bathed and prepared for burial in the manner of Jewish custom.³²

In addition to Jewish observances, Men Gutiérrez was familiar with Jewish songs and prayers. Martín Gómez Esquerdo recounted an instance which occurred around 1445 when he was in the company of Men Gutiérrez who was signing a Jewish song. When asked by Gómes Esquerdo what song it was, Gutiérrez forthrightly told him "que non es sino que vo rezando, en el qual cantar desía Fabrahan e Moysen..."³³ ("it is nothing but this that I am singing, in the manner as Abraham and Moses said to sing...").

Eventhough Men Gutiérrez lived by Jewish customs, he also attended mass at the local church of San Bartolomé in the Villa de Almagro, but his behavior suggested a less than sincere devotion to Christian worship. As a boy, Marcos Fernández had seen Gutiérrez during masses and remembered that "al tiempo que alçaban que alába la cara a la techumbre de la yglesia e rrascabase la garganta..."³⁴ ("at the time when the host was elevated he would lift his face to the ceiling of the church and rascabase[?] the throat). Honoring his Jewish heritage, Men Gutiérrez worshiped at the synagogue in the Villa de Almagro. On one occasion in 1460, the Alcalde of the villa, Ruy Núñez Eloxondo, entered the synagogue and found Gutiérrez saying prayers with other Jews. Núñez Eloxondo arrested Gutiérrez and placed him in jail. However, he was soon released through the direct intervention of don Perdo Girón, Maestre de la Orden de Calatrava.³⁵ This particular episode illustrates the strong political influence of Men Gutiérrez. Although the Orden de Calatrava was well known for protecting religious ethnic groups from social injustice, a wealthy man such as Gutiérrez contributed economically to the military order through rents and other monetary contributions.³⁶

When Men Gutiérrez died, according to a first hand witness, "fusieron el cofuerco al dicho Men Gutierres nueve dias que comieron en el suelo sobre usuas almaquexas en el qual que vido ayuno Teresa de Castro su muger primera de Alonso Gutierres e otro conversos"³⁷ ("they had the ‘cohuerzo’ of the said Men Gutiérrez, for nine days they ate upon the floor sobre usuas almaquexas and in this I saw Teresa de Castro, the first wife of Alonso Gutiérrez, and other converos fast"). The custom described here involved the traditional Jewish rites of burial and mourning. The body of the deceased was washed scrupulously and dressed. The relatives of the deceased then observed a period of mourning beginning with the "cohuerzo," consisting of "comer de suelo," eating of a special meal of eggs, fish and bread for seven nights while sitting upon the floor.³⁸

The death of Men Gutiérrez and his wife, Catalina Gutiérrrez, occurred before their denunciation to the Spanish Inquisition, and thus they were spared the personal experience of persecution. Nonetheless, the Inquisition pursued the condemnation of Men Gutiérrez and his wife fervently. The evidence brought forth by key witnesses in favor of the prosecution made any defense extremely difficult. Sentenced on April 18, 1485, their bones were exhumed and burnt.³⁹

Records of their trial indicate Men Gutiérrez and Catalina Gutiérrez had five sons. They were: Alonso Gutiérrez married to Teresa de Castro; Perdo Gutiérrez; Diego Gutiérrez; Rodrigo Gutiérrez; and Gonzalo Gutiérrez.⁴⁰

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